Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-01-13

"A LbAO DOOk III HIlJu u1btlG is 6II1Ttll uSo-
less In the hands Of pupils who have not
made some progress In learning to read
welln
1.-THE first presentation OF numbers must
be oral, and every text book which presents
numbers, beginning with one, so that each
number shall BIO learned not merely as d
name or symbol, but as an idea, must neces.
sarlly and mainly be book for the teacher,
and should be addressed to the teacher,
and give such suggestions as to methods OF
work as will aid In the presentation OF the
first lessons in numbers"
IL. AS specimen Of the 1883 words OF
instruction given to tenchers In Brooks and
omitted In Flsh's, which the pupils read
and keep the teacher up 10 the mark, We
cite the following heads, each of which in
the book Ia elaborated and illustrated with
paragraph of detailed and practical In
struetion and application OF arithmetieal
processes to figures:
P. 81, BRooKs:
81, Multiplication should be taught as a
special case of addition" nc.
20 Division should be taught as reverse
multiplication, Ne.
49, The pupil should be taught to con
struct the multiplication table, &C."
"a Multiplication and division should be
taught simultaneously or very nearly SO, =
&c.
Author recommends to lessen difficulty
Ia committing multiplied ion table: 1st
By having pupils make 1t for themselves
aud write 1t on the slate or bacs board.
%. By concert Rotations. 3d. By singing
the table TO some appropriate tune. 4th. By
reeiting 1t by the method OF going up" or
Graphing" &c.
The following are specimen heads OF In
strnction fully elaborated and illustrated
in Brooks f. G. Sec p, 81, New Primary"
81. The first lessons In fractions should
be given orally" sc.
80. Mental and written exercises should
be combined IN the FIRST lessons" &c.
SO. The elements ~ fractions should be
taught by visible objects" &c
II, The operations In written fractions
iednui " tau1ht 4 rNf~r NNT'l9 lne3fnn-
I aL4Ft ae ISL 'Nar ias st1t traction
, Hu A&eEt ae Il I'd. inc functional
| parts OF numbers. Sd. Solving problems re-
| 1uiriug the fractional parts OF numbers.
4th. few Of the simpler cases of redue-
| tion," &c.
The writer claims that If these expert
enced Instructions to teachers, these
seventy-two pages of practical business
| instruction, &c, not In Fish's arithmetics
as proved hereafter, or these 70 PIP. of ex-
cess In Brooks over Fish's were not valu-
| able they could easily be skipped over. But
| the extra matter is NIL Of the greatest value
and Is most carefully and conscientiously
| studied, prepared and tested Ia the normal
school rooms with numerous teachers to
| criticise, suggest and help.
III Fish, p. 100, 1876. 80 Is I Of what
Of Is, which Is 90"
The same thing In Brooks, p, 100 s 1871,
II. How many times Is contained III q"
"Splution--One is contained in 3, 8 times.
and II one IL contained In 5, 8 times, !
is contained In 8, times times, which are
u times; and I is contained in 5, Of IL
timsa OF 4 times"
We claim this careful and painstakIng
elaboration Of the analyticand logical steps
and process OF thought In the solution
given by DR.. Brooks Is necessary; that these
quotations from the rival books Of this ex-
AMPLE which Is one and the same In prin-
ciplei is q fair Illustration by comparison Of
the respective arithmetics all the way
through.
Brevity Is secured In the Fish arithmetic
at theexpepse of practical didaetieal and
business instruction Of greatest value, and,
what is worse, at the loss Of intellectual de-
velopment and Indispensable instruction in
analysis and solution.
", Fish's Arith No. l, p. 95, 2nd. line
reads: "5 times 40 Ia 300" Fence while
MIR. Fish tsaches arithmetic he unteaehes
grammar by joining singular verb or pre-
dictate to plural subject. But" says q
Fish man: "Thats all right. That's the way
| II ought to be-" Then sse q. 81 same book
units" Hence, according to Fish, Fish Il
wrong IN one If these two places, and In
the same way mnny times wroDg. You car
find plenty vt examples Of the unsymmetry
of language therein.
V. Brooks gives j PIP. and Fish only SIX
to the important practical business rule o
: EXCHANGE" We do not ilEd 10 the Fish.
J arithmetic any definition OF the rule, com
mon to all arfthmstles called Arbitration
| Of Exchange" Brooks gives 1t (p, 300
thus: Arbitration OF Exchange, also callet
, Circular Exchange, Is the method OF max
! Ing exchange between two places by mean
OF one or more intermediate exchanges"
This Is but specimen Of many omission
} | In Fish's arithmetic OF terms and rules com
[ | mon to arithnetics generally so that an I'm
4 partial and independent examiner coult
ask finished student of that work score
OF common and usual arithmetic questions
that he could not answer. He would fall Of
his examination.
. vi. We do not find the definition Of "a
r Letter of Credit" In Fish's. Brooks (p. 3O7
| $3.50 reads: "a Letter of Credit" Is Il lette
) from q banking house In one country to on
1 or more OF their correspondents In another
q directing them to pay to theperson In who's
. favor the letter is written, any sum not OK
ceeding n certain amount specified in tn
!, letter." This looks valuable, and Brook
J. gives on 1t one page and o. half.
& VII. Fish omits the practical business rul
: OF Medal Proportion" which Brook
/ (p. 1850 gives FIVE PIP, and states sis the pre-
~ cess OF combining two or more quantities q
= different Values" o. g., $751;: Il. A mel
y chant mixed "a TBS. OF sugar at 10 cents
y pound, so lbs. at IA cents and 26 TBS. at z
y cents. What Is the average price Of til
l. mixture"
a That looks like a rule worth having 10
NJ grocer who wants to know what to charg
ID for mixed teas, &c.
70 VIII. We do not find as special feature
u In Fish's the practical business rules
7. averaging Accounts" "Settlement {
p Accounts" and account Sales" TO while
Brooks (p. 349) gives PIP.
" TX. Fish omlts "Annulties" which Brook
n (p. 383) gives PIP.
ID X Fish omIts "Life Insurance. whic
IN Brooks (p. S93) gives PIP.
it. XI, Fish omits Building Associations
which Brooks gives an exhaustive treats
OF of over PIP. (p. $3.50
ID XII. Brooks gives page GIG to the vail
Of able household rule Of "Carpeting, Pape
ID ing, &C." which we fail to find In Flsh's |
in special feature.
lg XIII. Same as to the rule: tTbe cost (
es Artifcers Work" See Brooks p. 2lO.
s, XIV. Same as to masonry, BrickWorl
10, &c. See Brooks p. 221.
is XIV. Brooks Up. 282) gives large amount
he detail instruction on the Maker" 'Il
its dorser," days of Grace" Protest" an
d, Principal Kinds" Of "Promissory Notes
a not found in the opposition book. 81
hit Elsh's .. 2i0.
lis We do not give the foregoing as ALL b.
70. only samples, Of the omission by Fish
m arithmetical rules and definitions of Il
on highest practical value.
an XVI. Fish's Up. 110): "a decimal fractlc
cd or decimal Is one or more Of the decim
divisions Of unit"